Cricket bat industry in Kashmir stares into oblivion amid growing willow cleft shortage

Manufacturers fear a shortage of willow clefts might force their factories to close within five years.

The 102-year-old cricket bat industry in Kashmir has upped its standards over the years to compete with manufacturers that work with the fabled English willow. But bat-makers fear a shortage of clefts might force closure of the ₹300-crore enterprise that provides livelihood to over 1,00,000 people.

"We have been manufacturing cricket bats for the past 102 years. The quality of our bats is good and approved by the International Cricket Council (ICC). So quality-wise, we are not lacking. We are at par with (manufacturers that use) English willow, if not better," Fawzul Kabir, spokesperson for Cricket Bats Manufacturing Association of Kashmir.

"This was evident from the fact that the longest six in the recent ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Australia was hit using a Kashmir willow bat," Kabir told PTI.

The UAE's Junaid Siddique hit the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup's longest six against Sri Lanka using a bat manufactured by Anantnag-based GR8 Sports.

However, the 400-odd bat manufacturing units are staring at an uncertain future as they fear a shortage of willow clefts might force their factories to close within five years. "Willow produce is dwindling fast and we fear that it might become extinct within the next five years. We have been requesting the government to go for a willow plantation drive to ensure a sustainable supply," Kabir said, pointing to the afforestation drives in Canada and Pakistan to underline his point.

He said more than one lakh people, not only from Jammu and Kashmir but from Jalandhar in Punjab and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, relied on the industry for their livelihoods. "In a scenario where an industry is on the verge of collapse, the government needs to work on a war footing," he said.

Kabir said while the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology provided them 1,500 willow saplings last year for replacement, each unit needs a supply of around 15,000 clefts a year. “As cricket is growing fast, the demand for bats will also increase. We had a dozen countries playing cricket two decades ago. Today, that number has gone up to around 160.”